See the evenin’ sun go down // Baraboo Senior Photographer

Just a few days before I met with Jordyn for her senior photo session, she was running through the streets of London as an Olympic Torch Bearer. Not too long after that she was nominated as a Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year. As a teenager she has founded multiple non-profits, one serving communities across the country.

I kind of want to be her when I grow up, and I’m 33.

So yeah, the pressure was on to come up with a fittingly unique idea for Jordyn’s senior session.

She has a serious love for all things vintage, something we have in common. She listens to Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey. She collects antiques with pin-up girls on them. When she described the outfits she had picked out — ranging from sweet floral dresses to glam vintage gowns — something clicked for me. I envisioned a cinematic session with a strong visual narrative, telling the story of a young woman from a small town with dreams of running away to be a Hollywood star.

We shot at an old quaint house with fruit trees and weathered paint for her character’s “home,” a library where she reads books about travel and imagines life in faraway places, a cherry-red vintage convertible for her getaway, an old theatre with a cool marquee for her debut, and an authentic 1950s diner for the close.

I work hard to come up with custom ideas and locations for every senior I work with. Their senior session is a huge part of their high school experience, and I want it to reflect their style and who they are at this point in their lives. This came together better than I could have hoped… and in a way it tells Jordyn’s story, because she comes from a small town, dreams big, and has huge things in store for her in the years ahead.